It should have been another fun summer in Hackett Basin.
The camp counselors went out ahead of time as per usual, to make sure everything was set up before the kids arrived. And they'd done that before, twice before, and nothing seemed to go wrong either of those times. The Basin was a place surrounded by hills, framing a lake where the shoreline contained five cabins where the kids and the counselors would be free to enjoy their time in this wooded paradise away from the urban and suburban life of California. Sure, there had been some stories told by that creepy old guy Sheridan Rides-The-Wind, mostly on the subject of that land being "cursed", but nobody really paid much mind to it as the place was being established - let alone when they started sending teenage camp counselors out there.
Maybe they should've listened. Maybe that would've saved them - from the experience they had. After all, nobody goes out to what should've been just another community service job for their school or even just for fun - and thinks "Yeah, I AM going to be attacked by a monstrous white furred wolf-thing today!"
It started pretty bad itself - the trip had been delayed due to car trouble, perhaps an omen they should've paid more heed to. Though it WAS actually the work of one of the camp counselors as an act of petty revenge against his girlfriend for dumping him, perhaps not.
What of the Camp Counselors?
They were all alive, though they wouldn't all remember being in one piece. Some would distinctly remember the thing they saw taking bites and chunks out of them - and only when they woke up, clothes torn and blood across their body, would they see that their bodies were unharmed. A sort of delirium took form - the experience almost felt like a bad dream they had all experienced when they were awake. A lumbering, sluggish feeling of running through water and sludge...
So, who are our Camp Counselors?
Neil Camber was the soft-spoken preppy jock. Usually, he was a measured presence among his peers. A more modern, less rough around the edges masculinity - but a sense of anxiety was present in him, as if that wasn't entirely good enough for him. Sometimes, he would against his "soft boy" aesthetic show a bit more of a playboy side. He was a rather experienced kisser, and despite his pretty features, there was no denying that his body under that long sleeved white shirt, vest and jeans was a testament to musculature and tone. His friend Kerry would often joke that Neil felt like concrete under his shirt. He had slightly wavy brown hair, grey eyes, and olive tanned skin - apparently he had some Italian in his family.
Speaking of Kerry, Kerry Casaway was seen as "the gay one", due to him matching the Twink aesthetic and mannerisms a little too perfectly. He was outgoing, energetic, outspoken, and eager to socialize. He was keen however to try and remind people he was technically bisexual, even if people assumed he swung most strongly toward men. In fact, Neil's on again off again girlfriend Susan (presently off again) admitted she had sex with Kerry before. Apparently despite the girly boy look, he was "packing". Kerry had dyed blond hair, brown eyes, and going by the body hair he tried his hardest to remove, he had black hair normally.
Susan Suttman, speaking of, was a tall, thin blond girl - not exactly that endowed, but she had a pretty face, and she was confident in both her intelligence and her status. She and her best friend Vivian would often show up at these kinds of events, and she would support Vivian whenever "Jockosaurus Wrecks" showed up. Susan was smart, indeed, but being a tall and smart girl, she felt envious about the way Vivian looked and was perceived - even as she was aware that wasn't exactly fair. She had auburn hair, blue eyes, and a slight scar on her left shoulder already, marring her milky light skin.
Vivian Lockwood was the school's designated pretty girl - an athletic and gifted amateur bodybuilder and cheerleader. Viv loved fitness, muscle boys, and fashion, so it probably said a lot that she found her ex-boyfriend a bit much given how strongly he fit her type. Supposedly, she used to be a nerdy girl back in middle school - and so, when the time came, she made every effort to distance herself from that. Nowadays you could hardly believe that she was ever that rather chubby 7th grader. Not that it had entirely dissipated - body dysmorphia is a hell of a thing, and being called "homely" still hit her hard even though it shouldn't. She had a decent tan, dark brown hair, and green eyes.
Speaking of "Jockosaurus Wrecks", Jake Tyler was almost funny he was so stereotypical - well, until he damaged the car (not that anyone knew it was him). Wavy, thick blond hair, a muscled body with tanned skin, blue eyes, and a heavily muscled form that...well. It was an open secret that Jake Tyler used steroids. Specifically, Dianabol, Anavar and Testosterone - pro shit. And he got away with it due to the Football Coach and his dad being drinking buddies and old friends from their own school days. As much of a jerk as Jake Tyler was, there was always a degree of shame to him. Shame at losing his girlfriend due to his own temperamental issues. Shame at the fact he used steroids at all - it wasn't entirely his choice after all. And shame that his mom left - and just saw him as a clone of his dad.
And lastly, Jonathan Hahn was Jake's study buddy - and confidant. Not that anyone knew that Jonathan was basically how Jake offloaded his problems. Jonathan was quiet, inoffensive, and came off like a decent, nerdy guy - ready to try and expand his horizons with this gig with the summer camp. In truth, Jonathan resented that he had been locked, it seemed, into being "the nerd" or "the dork" by the fact he was a curly light brown haired, pale guy with glasses, a skinny, tall build, and parents who encouraged him to prioritize schoolwork over friends. And he never really went against this until recently. Jake meanwhile promised that if Jonathan helped him with his flagging studies, Jake would make sure Jonathan got to go to all the best parties.
Of course, all that was subject to change, wasn't it?
After all, some of these teenagers - but not all - had been bitten by the white wolf-thing of Hackett Basin. And with the next full moon exactly a week away, some of them would end up joining it in howling at the moon - and hunting in their "beloved" suburban city home of Northridge Heights. At least, if they couldn't find the monster responsible - and settle things.
------
Neil Camber woke up first. He groaned, remembering that creature using his shoulder like his dog used its toys. He'd played dead and just went slack, hoping it would leave him alone. So imagine Neil's surprise to see his shoulder was whole. Whole and unmolested, as if it was all just---all just a really bad, really violent dream. And honestly, with the weird delirious state...could it be just a bad dream? A...A mass bad dream? Was that a thing? Mass hallucination? When he saw Jake stirring, Neil immediately went ahead and helped the fratbro jock up, "And up we go, big man."
"Sheesh...shit...shit shit shit, that thing swatted a fucking door into me. Knocked me out cold." Jake couldn't remember if it had done anything else to him. Not after he had seen...sheesh. Man, watching the damn thing shaking Neil around in its mouth almost made Jake's blood boil and his teeth grind together hard enough he was grateful he hadn't chipped anything. As much as he...had done things...he wasn't uncaring. When he saw Neil getting turned into a chewtoy, he went to attack - only to...yeah.
Get a door slammed into him.
By now, Vivian was also getting up, her clothes damaged and scratch marks visible across them. She was glad she'd been wearing a heavy jacket. Apparently Susan had gotten it at one of her Comic Con things. Said it was a replica of some guy named Jotaro's jacket. Thought that Viv might like it. Nice, heavy jacket - and now it needed some substantial work to get it back together.
She saw Kerry on the ground moaning, clutching his shoulder, and she ran to him and helped him on his feet, "You---you okay there, Casaway?"
Kerry for his part got up, clutching a shoulder that was whole and in good shape. Just aching! "Yeah...yeah I'm fine. Jeez, haven't felt that bad since Pride a year ago when I got into it with Terese the Terf." Groaning, Kerry took a look around at the teenagers stirring and starting to get back up, "Man that thing beat the blue outta our jeans. Yet not a single wound...even though...ugh." Just thinking about his wound from that thing's loping claw, and more to the point how it ripped into poor Neil... "You good, Neil?"
"I'm good," Neil said as he helped Susan up, given she seemed to still be having trouble getting her bearings. The nerdy girl groaned as Neil gave her his shoulder to rest on - and she flinched as she looked at that shoulder in particular. Her clothes were wrecked too, and Neil swore, both of them had pretty much seen their 'fits destroyed by...whatever that was. It seemed half like a wolf, half like something big, more than human, something like an ogre.
"God, what a monster..." Susan moaned, sobbing under her breath as she realized she would probably never be able to get the image of that thing hurting the others as it did out of her mind. Each moment as she awkwardly tried to stabilize on her feet, she remembered how it had hurt them - and then she was back to needing Neil's shoulder. It took her a moment - and a quick run to go vomit - before she got it all out of her system and THEN she came back over, on her own feet - though still awkward.
Jonathan Hahn was the last one up, a huge claw mark eviscerating his comic book print t-shirt. He shivered as he remembered the feeling of its claws parting his flesh - and he had hoped that it was all just a bad dream at the time. That he wasn't actually going to die that night. It had hurt. Fuck it had hurt. He even remembered his last words before unconsciousness; "M---Mr. Stark? I don't feel so good...I-I don't wanna go..." Even at that moment it was all he could think to say. It was...frustrating. He wished he could've left it with something a bit more original.
"You good, Jonathan?" Jake asked.
"Not really, no," Jonathan responded quickly, clenching his fist.
"Let's..." Neil stepped forward, waving his hands over his head and getting everyone's attention as he surveyed the ransacked, devastated cabin - and the six living teenage camp counselors still alive. He cleared his throat, "Let's get outta here. We gotta find our way back to the Hacketts' place and then---then we can get back to Northridge Heights once we report what happened here." Surely the police would---would be able to do SOMETHING about this.
Surely. Neil after all had never known them to fail when called upon.
Jake for his part rolled his eyes, as did Vivian - and then both huffed and almost performatively looked the other way. But everyone involved pretty much shuffled in behind Neil - and Jake said, "Lead the way, rich boy." Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Jake followed - as did everyone else.
It would be a little too convenient if the car they arrived in was of any assistance...wouldn't it? So it figured that the creature, whatever it was, had wrecked the car. It had outright torn it open, and thrown its half disemboweled form on its side. Fluid and oil leaking on to the ground and the road leading up and out of the camp area. Jonathan snarked, "Well, couldn't have a working car in a horror movie, now can we?"
"This isn't a horror movie, Jonathan!" Susan scolded.
"Yeah, we're All---All---!" Vivian started, though even she found herself flagging in spirit just looking at the sheer damages to the car. She gulped, and could only imagine that whatever that creature was, if it came back again chances were high it would not be quite so merciful this time.
Neil glanced at the woods, and Kerry shook his head, "Oh. Oh don't you fucking TELL me..."
"We're going into the woods, Kerry." Jonathan groused, "I'm not that happy about it either. I mean, six teenagers go running into the woods so soon after getting attacked by a monster? Tell me that doesn't sound the least bit...sus, you know?"
"We have to get to the Hacketts." Neil defiantly stated, puffing out his chest and spreading his shoulders. Trying to come off like he had a clue. Like he was actually the macho leading man for a change. And Kerry swore, it seemed like getting used as a chew toy might've helped with Neil's shoulders. Maybe it was danger getting him on, but he couldn't help but feel Neil did look a bit more hale and healthy. And strong. That too.
"You have a problem with it, try and find your own fuckin' way outta here." Jake said, stepping forward, "I'm on Team Neil. Anybody wanna push that?" Jake was scared, that much he knew. But he couldn't afford to be publicly scared. He was a man. And he was the biggest man out here. If he showed he was frightened, or shivering, or that that thing made him feel like running now...well. What would it do for the others? Jake had to show that he, and Neil, and...Viv...that they were a strong front.
And indeed, Vivian stepped forward and said, "We don't really have a choice. The Hacketts have a whole ass Victorian up there. They have strong, tall gates, and they have phones, and cars. We need to get up there, and get home. Somehow."
Susan simply nodded, and followed along. Kerry shrugged, and shuffled in behind her, Vivian going along with their little mini-group too. Jonathan for his part kept as close to Jake as possible. The enormous jock was his security in the crazy new world he found himself in. Jonathan was suddenly in a world with vastly stranger things going on - a world of giant wolf monsters, of cars getting torn in half, of doors being thrown into people...and now they were going up there to get help from the transplanted hick family.
As if they hadn't run into ENOUGH horror movie cliches. "Just...don't be surprised if the Hacketts are up there playin' their banjos," Jonathan remarked.
And that got him a dirty glare from Neil and a quick middle finger. Neil was after all pretty good friends with Ronnie Hackett, the family patriarch. Ronnie was funny, cool, and in prior times up here, he would let them have booze. To be just...casually saying vile shit like that about him and his family? Neil calmed down after a moment. But the fact he had to keep himself cooled down made him wonder just how on edge he really was.
And as the teens walked into the woods, Susan found herself staring - at Neil's eviscerated clothes, and at his suddenly assertive manner and his turn toward being a stronger leader figure. Maybe it was just the circumstances. Maybe it was their vacillating relationship. But Susan found herself feeling a very strong tug emotionally and sexually toward Neil. She bit her lip as she watched him walk. Leading the way through the woodland as best he knew.
This was still a place they knew...reasonably well.
But there were some hints something had come through here recently. Something of a nature they were now quite familiar with. As they looked upon claw marks raked into the bark of the passing trees, they realized they were likely following its path - the path of the creature. It had gone down this way toward the cabin, and had attacked them there. Whatever it did from there...well. Who knew? They certainly had no desire to run into the beast again.
The fact it came apparently from the direction of the Hackett House didn't say many good things. But Neil for his part was confident that he could make his way up there and talk to Ronnie. It didn't take long, however, for the teenagers to succumb to the need for rest and relaxation. And they stopped near a pond and a clearing in the woods. Seeing that their movement was flagging and their bodies were streaked with sweat, Neil stated, "We---We can stop here, at least for now."
Neil admitted he wasn't that fond of the way there weren't any animal sounds out here. His dad always told him if there were no animal sounds, that meant the animals could tell a big predator was on the prowl. Jake for his part stepped up and said, "I'm gonna check around the area. See if I can find anything."
Neil nodded, "Just don't go too far. And observe some common sense."
"...Yeah, yeah," And with that, Jake started moving out to start surveying the wilderness. And Jonathan awkwardly stated, "I'll just uh. Support him from like, further back." And Jonathan hurried along in short order. Even as he didn't see Jake rolling his eyes at the fact it was so obvious that his tutor was keeping along like that out of fear even now. Jake's dad had taught him hunting, and survival - and he could recognize that there were abundant signs of something that had moved through this area one way, and no signs it was headed back this way.
Meanwhile, as Neil took a rest by one of the trees and began removing his eviscerated shirt, lying there in the sun by the pond, he didn't see Susan, Kerry and Viv stopping and looking at him. Susan was just...unable to stop herself from staring at Neil. He didn't exactly take his shirt off super often, and so when it did happen like this...well... "Wow..."
"You really got it down bad for him, don't you?" Kerry whispered in her ear, and she jumped a little, biting her lip. Kerry then chuckled, "I get it. He's like, foine. Objectively so. And he's got a shredded six pack. And he's taken several dozen levels in leadership. But you really wanna get back with him right no---?"
"Not...not getting back with him, per se," Susan shook her head and sighed, "I just---I just want some comfort, you know?"
"I mean, if you want to..." Viv stated, "I mean, you do it, or I'll do it. I could do with just some nice, romantic moments under a tree. Get my mind off of the---the thing." She then nodded, "And if you smash, too? Go ahead. Kerry and I can uh, make ourselves scarce. Find food or something."
"Just tell me if his ass is really as solid as it looks." Kerry whispered mischievously.
Susan sighed and shook her head, "...Whatever you guys say..." She looked at Kerry and Viv, thinking about her response to Neil earlier. Thinking about the way they had both endured the onslaught of the monster. And now, now Neil was the leader. Neil was the tall, impressive guy. And as much as Susan wanted to deny she was really getting like that for a guy in these circumstances...well. Danger was a conductor to romance, it seemed.
Thus, Susan...